


Mask of the Dwarf

by RobberBaroness



Series: The Ankh-Morpork Vampire Ball [2]
Category: Discworld - Terry Pratchett
Genre: Collection: Purimgifts Day 2, Gen, Undercover, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-21
Updated: 2018-02-21
Packaged: 2019-03-22 06:33:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13758309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RobberBaroness/pseuds/RobberBaroness
Summary: Cheery is going to have a good time, impending vampire apocalypse or not.





	Mask of the Dwarf

**Author's Note:**

  * For [melannen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/melannen/gifts).



Cheery had privately been quite excited about this mission.  She knew her own taste in gowns ran to the sequined end of the decency scale, but what were vampires known for if not their decadence?  She could go dressed as a firebird and nobody could raise their eyebrows!  Which, in fact, she was, with a plumy skirt and sheer golden wings and heels that unfortunately made dancing a rather risky proposition.

 

She wasn’t even the only dwarf in attendance.  At first this made her happy, although on reflection, the existence of vampire dwarves meant that there was yet another major cultural shift going on in her community, which meant more messes to sort out.  The other possibility was that every single dwarf at the masked ball was also there on an undercover mission.  Knowing the intrigues of the Low Court as well as she did, Cheery couldn’t rule this out as a possibility.

 

But blast it all, could she really be all business about everything when Otto Chriek was being so charming?  She knew he was a member of the press, and under certain circumstances that made him the enemy, but he really was quite handsome when he wasn’t currently on fire.  Someone at the door had taken his camera away from him so that he could not photograph any of the suspicious goings-on, and he had protested quite strongly considering the fact that he would otherwise have spent most of the party as a dapper costumed pile of ash.

 

Not presently being on fire, he was safe to dance with.  As safe as any vampire was, anyway.  She knew Vimes had his suspicions that Otto’s ‘funny little man’ act was all a front, but Cheery personally didn’t believe anyone turned to ash that much as a mere act.  Experience with the Alchemists’ Guild had taught her that getting set on fire hurt.  The alchemists- and presumeable Otto- had simply decided it was a small price to pay for their art.

 

“How I vish zose thugs at ze door had not taken my eqvipment avay!” Otto was ranting at the moment.  “Don’t zey understand zat such a night as zis must preserved for posterity?  Ze camera is not vulgar, it is an art form, ze same as if a grand portrait vere being painted to commemorate ze occasion!”

 

“Well,” said Cheery, “we have our memories.”

 

“Memories!” Otto scoffed.  “You are but a fledgeling.  Ven you live zrough ze centuries, memories become unreliable.  But a picture!  A picture is forever!”

 

All of a sudden, Cheery’s party spirit was eclipsed by her copper’s instincts.

 

“You know, Otto, I think you’re right.  Eyewitness testimony is notoriously unreliable.  Did you see where they put your camera equipment?  If so, what say you we stage a little heist?”


End file.
